Key Highlights
- Mercedes rebounded from balance and grip challenges in FP1 to showcase strong pace during the second practice session at the Circuit of the Americas.
- Kimi Antonelli ended FP2 in second place, trailing Charles Leclerc by less than half a tenth despite a cockpit seat issue, while George Russell secured P5.
- Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin and both drivers noted significant progress with the team’s update package, pointing to tight margins among the top four teams heading into qualifying.
Mercedes Overcomes Early Grip and Balance Hurdles at COTA
The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team endured a complex and demanding opening day of practice at the Circuit of the Americas, working through early aerodynamic and mechanical issues before finding competitive pace later in the day. The opening session (FP1) presented widespread challenges across the grid, with low grip levels leading multiple drivers to run wide. Inside the Mercedes garage, George Russell voiced frustration over brake behavior, while Kimi Antonelli encountered track-position complications after impeding Isack Hadjar during running.
Despite the difficult start, both drivers logged valuable mileage in the first session. Russell concluded FP1 in fourth position with a benchmark time of 1:36.378, while Antonelli placed fifth with a 1:36.533. The team focused heavily on expanding their setup window with an ongoing update package, though aggressive locking and balance inconsistencies hampered both single-lap performance and longer race simulations throughout the morning running.
Afternoon Adjustments Propel Antonelli and Russell Up the Timing Sheets
Substantial setup adjustments between sessions produced an immediate turnaround in Free Practice 2. Although Antonelli had to make an unscheduled return to the pit lane to resolve a loose seat shifting inside his cockpit, the Italian driver extracted impressive single-lap pace once back on track. Antonelli posted a 1:35.333 to claim second place overall, finishing less than half a tenth of a second behind Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Russell faced an eventful second session, contending with track limits and managing a violent snap of oversteer in sector one that nearly ended in an off-track incident. Despite abandoning his cleanest flying efforts, Russell finished FP2 in fifth place with a lap of 1:35.793, leaving the team confident that untapped lap time remains in the W15 chassis ahead of Saturday’s competitive sessions.
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Driver and Technical Debriefs
Reviewing his Friday program, Antonelli emphasized the overnight targets required to remain competitive:
“We have had an interesting day here at the Circuit of the Americas. We didn’t have the best FP1 session, with the car balance not in a great place. We were able to improve that for FP2 though and we took a good step forward. We will now pick through the data overnight and see if we can take another step. We will likely need that if we are to be confident of fighting for victory on Sunday.”
“Ultimately, it’s been an encouraging day for us given the progress we’ve taken with the update package. We made some good inroads in Singapore, and it is pleasing to see that continue here with both myself and George on the same specification. There is still more for us to do to ensure we’re getting the car in the right window consistently and that will be a focus for us heading into FP3.”
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Russell reiterated that execution and balance refinement will be crucial to fighting the frontrunners:
“It’s been a useful day for us on track as we continue to build our knowledge around our update package. Whilst the car wasn’t in a great place in FP1, we made some good improvements for FP2 and definitely moved the car in the right direction. There is still more work to do though, particularly given how strong some of the other teams looked today. I didn’t get the most out of the single-lap running either; I lost one lap to track limits and then had a big moment in sector one on the next, so there was more performance there. We’ll work hard overnight and see what we can find ahead of tomorrow.”
“As we expected coming into the weekend, the margins between the top four teams look small. Getting ourselves in the fight at the front will not only be about making improvements with the car overnight but also executing well in qualifying and the race.”
Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin confirmed that the engineering group successfully cured the braking and predictability issues that compromised their baseline run:
“We didn’t have a good first session. We were looking to explore a wider set-up window with the update package on both cars, but we were struggling with locking, which was a big limitation in both our single-lap work and the long runs. We repositioned the cars going into the afternoon session and that seems to have put us in a better place. We had fewer balance issues, the car was more predictable, and the lap times improved as a result.”
“It looks very tight at the front. You wouldn’t rule out any of the top four teams having the pace for pole position tomorrow, so we’ll continue to pick through what we learned today and see if we can find further improvements overnight.”
Why This Matters
Mercedes’ performance at the Circuit of the Americas provides critical validation for the aerodynamic updates first introduced during recent rounds in Singapore. With both Russell and Antonelli running identical specifications, the team’s ability to correct aggressive brake-locking issues within a single four-hour interval demonstrates a deeper technical understanding of their platform. Given the razor-thin margins across the top four constructors heading into FP3 and qualifying, extracting consistent performance from the updated aero package will dictate whether Mercedes can contend directly for pole position and the Grand Prix win on Sunday.
Frequently Asked Questions
What issues did Mercedes encounter during Free Practice 1?
During FP1, both cars struggled with grip and front-axle brake locking. Russell specifically highlighted brake issues over team radio, while Antonelli encountered track-traffic interference with Hadjar and poor overall car balance.
Why was Kimi Antonelli called back to the garage during FP2?
Antonelli required a brief pit stop during the second session to adjust his seat, which was shifting inside the cockpit, before returning to track to set the second-fastest time.
How close was Mercedes to the top of the leaderboard on Friday?
Antonelli’s best FP2 time of 1:35.333 left him in P2, less than half a tenth of a second behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, indicating that the top four teams are closely matched ahead of qualifying.
